The Trouble With College
by KittyKat121213
Summary: College AU. Alexander Hamilton has always focused on his goals with single-minded determination and (almost) always achieved them. That is, until John Laurens walks into his life and turns his brain to mush. Lams (please be patient!).
1. Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was what you call extraordinary.

Since his mother's death 7 years ago, he'd been pretty much self-sufficient. Until the hurricane, that is. When everything he'd ever known destroyed, Alex began to write.

He liked to think the people of Nevis had given him money for his passage to America out of awe for his writing, although many had donated in an attempt to make him America's problem. Very few people appreciated Alex's six-hour speeches and rambling essays.

After making it to New York, Alex had won a scholarship to Columbia. He loved it, despite not clicking with his roommates.

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Aaron Burr had been friends since elementary school. From what Alex could tell, Thomas had spent the last two years of high school studying in France, whilst James and Aaron had been at an elite boarding school. They all looked down on the 'poor, penniless immigrant who probably got the scholarship out of pity'.

He loved his politics classes. He was loud and lively in debates and had even managed to make a friend – Angelica Schuyler, the self-proclaimed face of feminism and Hillary Clinton's biggest supporter. Alex wasn't very good at making friends, so he needed somebody like Angelica, who had introduced herself by walking into class singing her name. She was the eldest child of a rich, aristocratic family and had promised to introduce Alex to her sisters.

His pre-law classes, however, were something else.

They were interesting and engaging, with a great teacher. Angelica didn't take pre-law, so he mostly looked at the curly-haired guy on his left. As neither was as bold as Angelica, they hadn't been introduced. On his right was Aaron, whose motto for classes and life was "talk less, smile more". Pre-law was a great class, but something was wrong.

For the first time in his life, Alexander Hamilton couldn't focus on the work in front of him. He couldn't write the ten pages he would normally would and he couldn't get lost in the textbooks.

He had no idea what was wrong with him.

 **A/N Hi guys, I know this is labeled Lams but trust me, it's coming soon (or, you know, as soon as somebody takes the time to tell Alex what a crush is). So, please review and I'll get Chapter 2 (with Laf, Laurens and Mulligan in) out ASAP!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	2. Full Names

When Alex got back to his room, there was a tall guy with afro hair pulled back into a ponytail on the sofa. He was looking at a wall with a bored expression whilst Thomas spoke French to him.

"Alexander! Meet Marie-Joseph Yves Roch Gilbert du Mortier, Marquais de Lafayette! I met him studying in France!" Thomas called out.

"Uh, right. What do your parents call you?"

"Gilbert. But I call me Lafayette," he responded in a thick French accent. "I think my grandmother is the only person who says it all. Her and Thomas here"

"Alexander Hamilton, but everyone except this freak calls me Alex. Nice to meet you."

"Well, if you want a break, I'm just heading to meet with some friends who absolutely hate full names. You want to come?"

"Sure. Bye Thomas" Alex waved at him. Thomas looked on in shock at his French friend and his least favourite roommate going off together.

Lafayette led Alex to a small corner of the library. There were two boys waiting there. One was muscular, built like a bodybuilder and wearing a bandana whilst hunched over something he was sewing. The other was leaning on the table, drawing whilst curls fell in his face.

"I finally escaped from Thomas! He is so, so, so, boring. Anyway, this is Alex,".

Both the guys looked up and Alex suddenly realised that the one drawing was the boy he sat with in pre-law. Both seemed to be looking him up and down.

"Hi. Sorry to intrude, it's just I share a room with Thomas and leaving is nice"

The boy from pre-law smiled at him. "It's fine, we like company. I'm John Laurens and this is Hercules Mulligan. Last names only please, though I guess ours are pretty good compared to Lafayette's monstrosity.". He spoke with an accent that sounded like a mix of southern and British.

Mulligan looked up again. "Yeah, Laf's parents must really hate him. Anyway, where are you from? You don't have a local accent.".

"Nevis. They sent me here after I made a six-hour long speech and bored everyone's socks off. What about you guys? Oh, and if it's last names only, then I'm Hamilton.".

Laurens answered him again, "South Carolina. I spent a lot of time in London though. Mulligan is an NYC native and you wouldn't have made it Columbia if you hadn't figured out that Laf's French by now.".

Alex smiled, took the seat next to Laurens and got out his politics notes, intending to start his first essay. However, his mind did that annoying thing where it wouldn't work the way he wanted it to. Almost a hour ticked by and he hadn't done more than the opening paragraph. He didn't understand why, he usually wrote non-stop.

He'd thought the problem was with pre-law, or maybe the room it was in.

The problem, Alex reasoned, was John Laurens.

 **A/N Again, please be patient with the Lams. It's coming, Alex just doesn't understand what a crush is yet. Also, I have nothing against full names, but it would be annoying to have one as long as Laf's, especially with substitute teachers.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	3. Operation Aquarium

To solve a problem, you have to know everything about it. That was something Alex had learned when he was eight and had hypothermia from trying to swim to America. So, the next morning, he asked Angelica if she knew Laurens.

"Of course I know him! Henry Laurens is friends with Daddy and they come to most of our parties, I've known him for years. Why?" she asked him.

"He's in my pre-law and, you know me, I like knowing people.". Alex hoped she wouldn't call him out on his obvious lie, but she looked too confused to pick up on it.

"John? Pre-law? Are you sure it's not just someone who looks like him?". Seeing his puzzled expression, Angelica filled in the gaps.

"Henry Laurens is one of the best lawyers in South Carolina. That's actually how he met Daddy. John always said that he thought law was the most boring subject on Earth, he always preferred the sciences. I mean, his dad always tried to steer him towards law, take over the family business one day, but I never thought he'd take it this far. God, I mean, he loves his kids, but he's never been much good at the whole parenting thing. Like, let your son be a marine biologist, dude!".

With the words 'marine biologist', Alex had a plan.

By the time pre-law started the next morning, there was a homemade aquarium in the back of the room. This particular aquarium was made out of Thomas Jefferson's glass cases and filled with James Madison's pet fish.

Like Alex had expected, Laurens picked up his desk and went to sit by the fish. Alex finished all the work he'd missed so far and sat back, focusing on the lecture like he'd never focused before. He knew it wasn't a permanent solution, especially now they were friends, but something like that every so often could salvage his GPA.

 **A/N What do you think of Alex's plan? Again, thank you for your patience, somebody should clue Alex in by Chapter 5. Also, what do you think Thomas and James will do about the aquarium? Also, sorry about the short chapter, I promise the next one will be 450 words min.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty:)**


	4. The Library

Unfortunately, Operation Aquarium had left Alex homeless. Apparently James liked his pet fish a lot and Thomas had been looking for an excuse to get rid of him anyway. Aaron, like always, stayed out of it.

Alex knew he had three options – tell Angelica and she'd insist on him moving into the Schuyler mansion, at least temporarily, tell Laf, Mulligan and Laurens and move in with them or sleep in the library. Being an exceptionally proud person, he chose to sleep in the library.

That is, until Laf walked into the library at half one in the morning to get started on an essay.

Alex was asleep for the first time in a few days, face down on a book he'd been reading when his friend got to their usual table and shook him awake.

"Alex. Wake up! You need to go back to your room!"

"Uh, hi. This is my new room. They kicked me out.". Alex hadn't meant to tell him, but the words just tumbled out of his mouth.

"What? Why? Why didn't you tell us? You know we have a spare room."

"I like reading?". It came out more like a question than a statement and, although it was true, the fact that he was using a Shakespeare dictionary as a pillow somehow wasn't supporting him.

Lafayette looked him straight in the eyes, picked the three rucksacks his things were stuffed into up and led him out of the library.

Alex woke up later than he ever had before the next morning in a comfy bed with a set of keys and a note on the bedside table. He grabbed it to read it.

 _Hey dude,_

 _We didn't want to wake you, but we had to get to class._ _You'll have missed politics, we'll get Angie to get notes for you._ _Why didn't you tell us those awful southerners kicked you out?_ _Stop talking shit about southerners, you do know my dad will sue you?_ _We left you a set of keys to get in and out._ _Text me if you're gonna need pre-law notes._ _We'll see you after classes finish._

 _Lafayette,_ _Laurens,_ _Mulligan :)_

Alex groaned – he'd never missed a class before. He also realised that he'd never be able to get any work done here, so he texted Angelica. Knowing they were friends, he'd assumed she was the 'Angie' Laurens had mentioned.

 **You: How was politics?**

 **Angelica: Kind of boring actually, John said you needed notes? I never thought you'd skip class**

 **You: I overslept. I kind of moved in with the guys last night, so yeah**

 **Angelica: Only last night? After the aquarium thing you should've been kicked out days ago!**

 **You: I was, but I wanted to catch up on some reading**

 **You: Can I study with you tonight?**

 **You: I really need to talk to you**

 **Angelica: Sure thing! Come round mine, it's 1132 Merler Ave, Manhattan, would 5ish work for you?**

 **You: I'll see you there:)**

 **A/N Just wanted to apologize about the note formatting. I did do it in three different fonts but at the moment it's got Laurens in some weird form of comic sans (ugh) and I'm not sure if it'll show up in the actual chapter, for reference it's a deiiferent guy every sentence and goes Lafayette - Laurens - Mulligan - Laurens - Lafayette - Laurens - Mulligan. Also, I got 502 words not counting the a/n, so yay! And again, thank you for your patience with the Lams.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty:)**


	5. That's A Crush

When Alex knocked on the Schuyler's huge front door at 4:55, a pretty girl with long straight hair and Angelica's dark eyes opened it. She was wearing a private school uniform and a pale blue headband.

"You must be Alexander! Angie's told us so much about you!" she gushed, ushering him in.

"Just Alex, thanks. And you're... Eliza?". He knew Angelica had two sisters in high school, Eliza and Peggy, but it was still a bit of a shot in the dark, so relief washed over him when she nodded and showed him to her sister's room. Angelica was sitting on a huge bed in a room almost as big as the fiction section of the library, leafing through a book. She looked up and beckoned for him to sit by her.

"So... what did you want to talk to me about?"

Alex sighed. He really didn't want to talk about it, but Thomas had taken the aquarium out of the pre-law room and his GPA had suffered enough. He needed help, full stop.

"John Laurens.".

"You like him? I knew it, you're always asking about him! Oh, yay, do I get to play matchmaker?"

"I do not like him! He just makes my brain go all weird and I don't know how to fix it!". He should have known telling Angelica would backfire. Aaron Burr would have been more productive.

"Like you can't focus near him? Like you can't get anything done because he's all you can think about? That's a crush.". Angelica was dead on, but she couldn't be right. She just couldn't.

"Yeah, but I can't like him. I can't like anyone. I've read enough books to know that romance leads to heartbreak and heartbreak would be bad for my GPA."

"Alex, from what I've heard, he's bad for your GPA whether you admit to liking him or not. And romance doesn't always lead to heartbreak. Take Romeo and Juliet.".

"Ang, they both died.".

"But they never broke each other's hearts!".

"How about you show me the notes you took in politics?". Their shared class was the only thing Alex could think of to distract her. They studied and debated until Eliza came up to introduce her other sister, Peggy, who was also very pretty with wavy hair in a much lighter shade than her sisters and to invite Alex to stay for dinner.

Dinner with the Schuylers was almost traumatic for Alex, whose diet mainly consisted of noodles and toast. Luckily, all three sisters were on hand to show him which fork to use.

On the way home, however, Alex couldn't think about anything other than Angelica's theory. It wasn't wild. It wasn't crazy. Maybe it was true.

 **A/N so yay! Angelica finally clued Alex in! Go Angelica! Also, while I'm here, I should let you know that I'm 14 and from Britain, so everything I know about American college comes from Pitch Perfect, so please excuse anything I get wrong about that.**

 **On another note, there will be a lot more of Eliza and Peggy later on, and possibly some JeffMads, let me know in reviews which pairings you want to see.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	6. Geoffrey, The Marine Biologist

All three of Alex's new roommates were lounging on the sofa when he walked back in that evening. They all stopped talking abruptly and stared at the TV the way he stared at textbooks. He probably wouldn't have noticed they were acting strangely if the TV was on.

He went into his room, thinking about what Angelica had said. He could not like Laurens. Okay, he had liked people in the past, but he'd never taken more than a week to get over them – and they were most definitely not his new best friend.

Alex formed a new plan to get Laurens out of pre-law permanently. It wasn't even too crazy, compared with things he'd done in the past.

His new plan involved a boy named Geoffrey, who he'd chosen for his similarities to Laurens. Geoffrey was almost exactly the same height and build, with freckles and curly hair that he normally kept under a beanie.

The most important thing about Geoffrey, though, was the fact that he was studying marine biology.

Angelica thought it was a ridiculous plan. Lafayette found it hilarious. Mulligan had told Alex that it was the most stupid thing he'd ever thought of doing, including the time when he was ten and tried to build a ship out of raincoats to sail to America.

Laurens, however, thought it was a brilliant idea, and that was all Alex needed to convince him to go through with it. It's because he's my partner-in-crime, thought Alex, nothing more.

Alex thought his friend looked amazing in the Geoffrey-esque beanie that Mulligan had, albeit reluctantly, whipped up for them, although he would never admit it _Hmm... Maybe Angelica had a point_. Laurens was incredibly excited about going to the marine biology lecture. He'd even done Geoffrey's homework of drawing turtles in insane detail, focusing on it the same way Alex focused on essays.

Unfortunately, Geoffrey wasn't as keen on trying something new. Which was probably why he stood up in the middle of pre-law, announced to the room that he was most certainly not John Laurens and could he please go back to marine biology because this is boring as hell?

 **A/N Sorry about the short chapter, there's a super long one coming soon to make up for it. Anyway, what do you think of Alex's latest plan? Crazy or just Alex-ish? Also - slight JeffMads in next chapter, along with a new character in the form of Washington. Please review!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty:)**


	7. Here Comes The General

"Alexander Hamilton.".

Alex had never met the Dean, Professor Washington, before and he wished the first meeting could have been on better terms.

"Need I remind you that kidnapping, fraud and identity theft are most certainly not allowed at Columbia?".

"I didn't realise we were kidnapping him, sir.".

"We? As in, you and your roommates? There is no evidence that Mr Lafayette or Mr Mulligan had any idea what you were doing, and although Mr Laurens was certainly involved, you were definitely the instigator. And you snatched a boy out of the street and held him hostage in your apartment!".

"Sir, I am truly and deeply sorry for any hurt Geoffrey Smith feels I have inflicted upon him. I confess to stealing his identity to help my dear friend get into a marine biology class and feel the deepest remorse man can feel...".

"Did Miss Schuyler tell you to say that?" Washington asked, interrupting Alex's heartfelt speech. He was right, of course – Angelica's tip had been to plead guilty and layer it on thick. It had been much more helpful than what his other friends had suggested – Laf's idea had been to pretend to temporarily forget how to speak English, Mulligan had suggested making the Dean a pair of fluffy socks and Laurens offered to get his dad to sue.

"Yes.".

"Alexander, I would like you to write a letter of apology to the injured party with no help from Angelica Schuyler. I would also like you to think about how you would feel if this happened to you. Alexander, I appreciate that you have worked exceptionally hard to get here, but we don't allow the sort of hare-brained schemes that you might have got away with in Nevis. If I were you, I would also remind John Laurens that if he really wants to study marine biology, he can come to see me about switching majors at any point until the end of this semester. You can leave now.".

Alex left, gobsmacked at how lightly he'd got off. Washington was right – he had kidnapped a person and wasn't even in trouble for it. His friends were amazed too – although Washington's punishments were never too harsh, it was unheard of to not punish somebody for something as serious as identity theft.

"It's cause he knew you were trying to help a friend." Angelica told him on the way to her place, where they often went to study. Although her father was often hosting meetings, small parties and gatherings, they could always find a quiet place.

Today, that quiet place happened to be a small room lined with bookshelves next to Eliza's bedroom. After around twenty minutes, she decided to join them as she painted her nails pale blue. It was funny how different to her sister she was. Angelica was smart and focused – a lot like Alex, really. Like him, she wanted to change the world on a huge scale through written words and politics. Eliza had similar values, but strived to change the world for one person at a time, as a teacher or a nurse.

Alex wasn't stupid, he knew that Eliza looked at him the same way Thomas Jefferson looked at James Madison. He just didn't want to acknowledge it.

 **A/N Yay, Washington! What do you think of Eliza? And there is an 850 word chapter coming up next with some serious JeffMads and Lama will happen - finally! - by chapter 9. Also, do you think Washington let Alex off too lightly or not?**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	8. Party Of The Year

The latest big-ticket event in Manhattan was Angelica's birthday.

She'd been complaining about her father's plans for it all month, which apparently hadn't changed since she was eight. He was planning a fancy dinner party with a ball to follow, with a guest list that included all his friends with children around her age.

The only person looking forward to it less than Angelica was Laurens. He usually took advantage of events with his family there to annoy them with political views, but he had decided it was Angelica's job to start any arguments. However, she still lived at home and didn't want to upset her family.

Alex knew it would be a spectacle when Eliza invited him as her date. He hoped she wouldn't take the fact that he accepted the wrong way – she was very pretty, and very sweet, but he just wasn't into her.

He also knew that he would be the outsider. Everybody except him had known each other for years, had attended countless parties like this one and almost certainly knew which fork to use. Angelica had promised to get him sat near someone he knew, but he was still anxious about making a good impression. Despite their dated political views that both Angelica and Laurens had warned him about, the people there could make or break his future.

Because of this, he was very unsure when Laurens told him about the plan.

Firstly, Alex wasn't keen on plans that weren't his. Although his plans didn't have a great track record for success, he liked to be in charge and know what was happening inside out. Secondly, Alex didn't want to mess up his first meeting with the New York Elite.

However, Alex loved getting his opinion across. He loved it almost as much as he loved talking.

The suit was simple and sharp. From the front, at least. Angelica had gone for a long, black ball gown that her father could hardly find an issue with. Eliza, who really didn't want to get in trouble, had decided to sit it out, but was fully supporting the three of them.

Alex was nervous to make his first political statement, but he was confident that they'd get the message across. Eliza had gone to keep Angelica's boyfriend John Church, who was studying business at Harvard, company after pinning Angelica's hair up.

He and Laurens were both accompanying Angelica in the big entrance her father had planned. She wanted to get it over with before dinner.

Everybody who was anybody was standing in the Schuyler's party room – an actual thing they had for when they had too many dinner guests to use the dining room – when the three of them walked in.

Angelica turned around first, with Alex and Laurens quickly following suit, displaying the message embroidered on their backs.

 _Black Lives Matter._

They'd done it, Alex told himself.

He'd just expressed one of his biggest political views to a room full of the richest, most aristocratic conservatives America had to offer. Alex did recognise some Democrats – there was Professor Washington, and Angelica's dad wasn't _very_ conservative. It was just his friends.

Angelica turned around and took a seat at the head of the table. Alex realised he'd been wrong about Philip Schuyler – he was beaming at Angelica and looked prouder than he ever had before.

Thomas Jefferson, who had also apparently scored an invite, was trying to explain something to his confused-looking parents.

"Thomas, we don't understand. How can you be seeing somebody named Jamie?"

"Mom, Jamie IS a girl.".

"But last time we saw you, you said you were seeing a girl called Maddie? We didn't raise you to date around."

"I'm not. Jamie's a nickname. Her middle name is Jemima, but she hates it, and she's not too keen on Maddie either, so it's Jamie now.".

Laurens caught Alex's eye and grinned.

"Jamie/Maddie/Jemima is James Madison, right?".

"Definitely. Would everyone here have a problem with them, or is it just the Jeffersons?". Alex wanted to know everything about the new crowd.

"Schuyler wouldn't have a problem with it personally, but the man's all about the image, so they'd have to cover it up somehow. Washington's awesome. Apart from that, yeah, pretty much everyone here is against equality.".

"So, basically, 'conservative' is code for 'racist homophobic xenophobic asshole'?".

Laurens laughed. "Basically. Trust me, it's worse in the South. Anyway, can we duck out early? I think my dad's head might explode if he sees our outfits again.".

"I'll go say bye to Angelica and Eliza, can you call Laf for a lift?".

Alex was mad at himself for bringing up Eliza. Angelica was fine – they were all friends, and she had a boyfriend. Eliza was different – she was single and very ready to mingle if your name happens to be Alexander Hamilton, to quote Angelica. He really didn't want Laurens, of all people, to think he was dating Elizabeth Schuyler.

Angelica was right. Alex had it bad for John Laurens.

 **A/N Firstly, if you are a moderate conservative (agree with some Republican policies), please don't be offended. If you are against equality, abolishing white privilege, LGBT+ rights and so on, I suggest you stop reading this here and if you don't think everybody should have equal rights, I honestly don't care if I offend you.**

 **So, how did you like the JeffMads? Also, Lams finally happens next chapter! Yay!**

 **On another note, I go back to school tomorrow so updates will probably get less frequent.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty:)**


	9. Je t'aime beaucoup

The next day, Alex was glad they'd gone home early. Angelica had texted him to let him know that she was exhausted from dealing with her dad's friends and wasn't coming in. He had several texts from Eliza filling him in on everything that happened after he left. Apparently, Thomas had yelled at his parents to stay out of his love life and leave Jamie alone, causing every parent in the room to become overly interested in their child's romantic interests. He was glad he hadn't had to talk to Philip Schuyler about his non-existent relationship with Eliza.

When Professor Washington walked into pre-law and asked to borrow Alex and Laurens, he couldn't say he was surprised. However, he was expecting some sort of lecture about not showing the school up or not annoying influential people with dated views.

"I didn't get the chance to speak to either of you last night. I just wanted to let you know that your outfits were incredible. I take it Miss Schuyler never made it in today?".

"No, sir," they said in unison, and grinned at each other.

"I also understand that the two of you left the party early and didn't see Mr Jefferson's outburst. It was quite the show, you know. However, I don't believe we have a student named Madeline Jemima.".

"Try Madison Jemima, sir," Alex smiled. He never could seem to keep his mouth shut.

"I wanted to advise both of you to keep a low profile. You upset some incredibly powerful people last night, people who enjoy having undeserved power over others. Mr Hamilton, you may not have seen it, but people here are armed. They won't listen, even if you are right. And Mr Laurens, your family name won't keep you safe in New York. The locals won't care who you're related to if you upset them.".

"Wait – people have guns here?". Alex didn't understand how he hadn't realised before.

"According to our laws, people can own guns as long as they don't use them on other people. But people can twist the truth, and there are always exceptions.".

Alex had only seen a gun once. It was an antique in a glass case at Angelica's house and it gave him the shivers. He didn't understand how Angelica shot those things for fun in her father's shooting range. It could kill a person.

"Sir, I think I can handle guns. I've been to Texas and fought with police in protests.".

"Both of you should be careful. The president elect was there last night. You can leave.".

Alex had heard a lot about Mr Trump, mostly from Angelica. In her opinion, he was a 'horrible, bigoted, prejudiced, racist, sexist, homophobic person with awful hair'.

"Hey, I know Washington said to keep our heads down, but there's a trans rights protest next week, do you want to come?" Laurens broke the silence before they got back to the pre-law room.

"Is anyone else coming?".

"No, Laf and Mulligan both have massive projects to get in and Angie's got an interview for a journalism internship.".

"Sure. And... Je t'aime beaucoup.".

What Alex hadn't expected was that Lafayette wasn't his only French-speaking roommate.

"Hamilton, are you asking me out?".

"Why, my dear Laurens, yes I am.".

"Awesome. It's a date then." Laurens grinned at him before heading into the pre-law room.

 **A/N For anybody who doesn't know, Je t'aime beaucoup translates to I like you a lot. Also, LAMS!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	10. Angelica's Warning

"Good news on the Laurens front then?".

Alex figured his face had given the the previous day's events away. Angelica had a talent for reading body language, but it had barely taken her a minute to work out the cause of his good mood.

"Actually, yes. I have a date next week.".

"Oh, Eliza will be so upset.". Angelica looked genuinely disappointed. "You would've made a pretty good brother-in-law, compared to some of the freaks she's gone out with.".

"You do know that I was never actually interested in your sister, right?".

"Alex. You're a great guy, but I love my sister more than anything in this life, so when you tell her, let her down gently, or I will put what we have aside and rip you apart with my bare hands.". She sounded deadly serious and almost scared him.

"Ang? I promise I'll do my best to not disappoint Eliza.".

"Good. So, what are you doing with him?".

"We're going to a protest.".

Angelica laughed. "God, that's so typical of him. You should wear a bulletproof vest and take bail money.".

"Um, why?".

"Let's just say that he tends to get a little... overexcited about things. He's been arrested for assault a few times and got himself into hospital too many to count. He once punched the new VP elect dude for saying that women were inferior to men. I'm genuinely shocked he hasn't killed any Trump/Pence voters yet."

"Wow."

"I know. This one time, his dad refused to bail him out, so he was in this detention center place for a month. After that, they must have pulled some serious strings to get him in here.".

"From what I've seen, Washington was probably just impressed with him.".

Angelica laughed, but carried on. "Seriously, Alex, be careful. You haven't got all the connections he takes for granted to get you out of trouble. Don't let him talk you into anything stupid.".

They sat, focusing on the lecture for a few minutes before Alex broke the silence.

"So, you're going for a journalism internship?"

"Yeah. If I get it, I might even get some articles published!". Angelica loved writing almost as much as Alex did. She, however, was content to write on someone else's terms and stuck to word counts, whereas he'd had a few essays rejected for going several pages over.

Alex spent the rest of the lecture online shopping for bulletproof vests.

 **A/N Sorry about how bad this is! I promise the next chapter will be better. Also, I'm going to start doing a QOTC, or Question Of The Chapter. Let me know your answers in the reviews!**

 **QOTD: Top three Hamilton ships?**

 **AOTC: Lams, Marliza, JeffMads. For some reason I don't ship any straight pairings.**

 **So, I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime this week.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	11. The Debate Team

With his first date and exams coming up, Alex had thought he couldn't fit anything else into his timetable. However, a text from Angelica proved him wrong.

 **Angelica: Heyy guess what?**

 **You: You got the internship?**

 **Angelica: Haven't heard back from them yet**

 **Angelica: But there's a huge debating tournament coming up**

 **You: That sounds awesome!**

 **Angelica: Four person teams**

 **Angelica: I reckon we could get at least one of your roommates**

 **You: Come round then**

Ten minutes later, she was at their door. Angelica had her dark, curly hair in a messy bun and was wearing a high school hoodie that said 'Angelica Schuyler: Class of 2016' on the back. Unlike her sisters, Angelica favoured comfort over style, which explained the worn out UGG boots on her feet.

They were informed of her arrival by the sound of her banging on the door and yelling "ALEXANDER HAMILTON, DEBATE COMPETITIONS ARE NO LAUGHING MATTER, GET YOUR ASS HERE!"

Alex grinned and opened the door. Angelica looked disgusted at the state of the place. Alex had to admit, it wasn't fancy – especially when compared with the Schuyler's – but it wasn't awful.

Technically speaking, there wasn't any wallpaper. After Laf's parents had pointed it out on Skype, Alex had pinned up a ton of Laurens' sketches he'd found lying around. They'd been quickly joined by material swatches, a huge French flag and one of his own essays ("you can't display my work and not your own, Hamilton").

As well as this, the entire place was covered in materials and sketchbooks. Both Laurens and Mulligan had an annoying habit of leaving everything out, all over anything. It particularly annoyed Laf, whose room was impeccably neat with almost a hundred lipsticks colour co-ordinated. It didn't bother Alex unless he lost something.

After Angelica told them about the debate competition, Laurens agreed almost immediately. Although Alex hoped it was at least partly to do with him, he knew from his days as Thomas Jefferson's roommate that debating was basically the only way you could argue with teachers at private school, so he was almost certain Laurens had plenty of experience.

Laf eventually agreed to fill the fourth spot, after Angelica agreed to let him do her makeup. It was a pretty big thing for her, seeing as she'd never used foundation before – his favourite look was all out, contoured and highlighted with all the sparkles.

Although he wasn't sure if they could win, Alex was pretty pleased with the team overall and very glad when Angelica officially signed them up to it.

 **A/N Sorry I haven't updated for a while, and I'm sorry the last two chapters have been a bit rambling. Like, I know where I want it to go, and I just kind of need these less exciting chapters to get there.**

 **Next chapter is mainly Lams fluff, so yay! Also, shoutouts to: What'dIMiss, KoalaLover-ABC-123 and ChemicallyYours for awesome reviews, thanks guys!**

 **QOTC: Hamilton NOTP?**

 **AOTC: Washette. Washington was the same sort of father figure to Laf as he was to Ham, so this pairing is basically incest.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	12. The Worst Date

Being arrested had never been in Alex's plans, but then again, life hardly ever went to plan.

The protest had been really great. Laurens had been so in his element, and Alex though he was even cuter than usual. It was going amazingly well for a first date.

Until that guy came along.

Rich Texan oil company owners wearing a Trump hat really shouldn't walk through a mob of young liberals fighting for equality. The man had been stupid, Alex thought. You don't wear a Trump hat to a protest fighting for the rights of people Trump oppressed.

Unfortunately, the police didn't see it that way.

Alex could hear the man's words ringing in his ears almost an hour later. The words that he was sure would change the situation, if only people believed him.

" _It's not like they're really people anyway, is it?"._

Alex had been seriously offended on behalf of all trans people, but Laurens had really gone for the guy. Ten minutes later, the two of them were being dragged away by police with the man bleeding on the ground.

"So, are you going to cooperate with us yet?" the policeman asked again.

"Yes" Alex said at the same time as Laurens sighed "No way".

"Good. Your name?"

"Alexander Hamilton,". Alex tried to ignore the accusing looks coming his way and braced himself for the question he knew was coming next.

"And his?". Alex had known this was coming. Although he knew the smartest thing was to cooperate, it still felt like betrayal.

"John Laurens,". He automatically ducked, despite knowing his friend was handcuffed.

"Right. Alexander Hamilton – 19, originally from Nevis, student visa, Columbia University, no criminal record. Is that correct?".

Alex nodded.

"And John Laurens – 18, South Carolina, also studying at Columbia. You've been let off with a warning after being arrested for assault three times and spent a month in a detention centre?".

Laurens spoke up for the first time since arriving at the station. "Yeah. And you can let me off again, my dad's a lawyer.".

"We're not afraid of being sued, Mr Laurens.".

"My dad's a rich lawyer?" Laurens tried again.

"We don't take bribes either."

"Okay, here's the deal. You're right; I'm violent and should be locked up for the good of society. Alex, however, has done nothing wrong – he was even trying to pull me off that dude. So, how about you guys do whatever you want to me and let Alex go?"

"Laurens, what the hell are you doing? We're in this together," Alex hissed.

"No. You're on a student visa – you know what that means? They could deport you. The worst they could do to me is send me back to South Carolina, and it really isn't too bad there if there's a lock on my bedroom door.".

Alex sighed – he was right, of course.

"Mr Hamilton, your friend is right. There are no charges against you, although you may have to appear in court to give a witness statement. You can leave.".

Alex sighed and got up.

"Laurens, I'll call Angie for a lift. She'll either bring bail money or her dad. Je t'aime beaucoup. I'll see you as soon as possible.". Alex spoke as quietly as possible – he wanted the possibility of Senator Schuyler showing up to be a surprise.

"Bye, Hamilton. Sorry today went so badly.". Alex agreed it had mostly been awful, but the sight of Laurens grinning at him through his curls made it all worth it.

 **A/N I know I only posted the last chapter last night, but hey, I had a free period to revise chem, so here you go. I did want to go into more detail about the protest, but seeing as I've never actually been** **to one I didn't want to get it wrong.**

 **I promise Laurens isn't in too much trouble - he has connections. Also, next chapter is either focusing on the Schuyler Sisters or the Southern M***********g Democratic Republicans, so let me know which one you'd prefer.**

 **QOTC: Favorite revolutionary?**

 **AOTC: Laurens, both in the musical and historically, but Laf is a pretty close second.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	13. The Return of TJeffs

Angelica was understandably annoyed at having to get Alex from the police station. What he hadn't expected was the lecture in the car.

"Alex, how could you be such an idiot?".

"I never assaulted anyone. I'm not in trouble.". Angelica sighed and tried again.

"Then why did they take you in to the station?".

"It must have looked like I was involved in the fight when I was trying to pull Laurens off the Trump hat guy. Anyway, how are we going to get him out of it?".

"We're not. They're not going to let him off this time,".

"But what about the other times?".

Angelica sighed again. "It was different then. Before, he was a minor and his dad was one of the most influential people in the state.".

Alex somehow managed to keep his mouth shut until he arrived back home.

To make a bad day even worse, Thomas Jefferson was watching a film with Laf when he walked back in. Alex didn't know how he'd never noticed how similar the two looked – although Thomas had his hair loose, they could be twins.

"Bonjour, Alex, what's wrong?". Trust Laf to figure out his mood quicker than even Angelica had.

"Nothing. I'm going to go do some research.".

Alex was only a few pages in to the NY criminal offence website when Thomas strolled in, holding the phone that Alex had left in the kitchen.

"Alexander, hi. You have a text from Angelica Schuyler, it says 'he's being convicted of second degree assault and resisting arrest'. Who's in trouble?".

"Give me that back.". Alex's threatening tone didn't work on his former roommate, who merely held the phone above his head.

"Seriously. Who's in trouble?". Thomas' condensing tone just made Alex angrier. He opened another tab and searched the other boy's parents. "For real, Alexander, who? I mean, it couldn't be Laf, I've been hanging out with him all day, and it can't be Angie, so who? Based on the passed, I'd be willing to bet on John Laurens, but -"

"And sent!". Alex cut Thomas off.

"Sent what, a plea for them to let your boyfriend off?".

"Nope. 'Dear Mr and Mrs Jefferson, the girl named Maddie/Jamie/Jemima your son Thomas claims to be seeing is actually a boy named James Madison. I have enclosed some links to photographs of them together. Sincerely, a concerned citizen'." Alex read aloud from the computer screen. Thomas' eyes went wide with panic for a second, but he quickly regained his usual calm, collected demeanour.

"There's no way you actually sent that to my parents.".

"Maybe you should ask them to reconsider having a fanmail portal on their website.".

"If you want to play dirty, I can always tell Henry Laurens about you and John -".

"But where's the proof?" Alex cut Thomas off again. "You posted photos of you guys and just blocked your parents from seeing them. I, however, am far more careful.".

"Thomas? Your mother is calling you!" Laf called from the living room.

"This isn't over." Thomas hissed before dropping Alex's phone and strutting out the room.

Alex grinned before opening all the frantic messages from Angelica. Thomas was right; it wasn't over, but it had sure felt good.

 **A/N I know I had said it'd be all three of the SMDR, but it just kind of went in this direction. And yes, I know that irl Eliza would be the mom friend, but in this I thought she'd just be too infatuated with Alex to lecture him.**

 **And, yeah, Alex plays dirty. He knows what would really upset somebody and uses it to his advantage. And there's going to be a lot more of TJeffs (and JMads!) after they get Laurens out of trouble. TJeffs in this is based on Peter from Divergent.**

 **QOTC: Favourite Southern M***********g Democratic Republican?**

 **AOTC: TJeffs. He's so opinionated and he has an awesome fashion sense. Plus he's Daveed Diggs.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	14. Softshell Turtles

Alex wished he could defend Laurens in court. However, his only qualification was three months in pre-law classes, so he could hardly call himself a great lawyer. He had to contend with writing reports of the event for the person who would be defending his friend.

In this case, that person was Henry Laurens, who was flying up from South Carolina the next day. Alex was really excited to meet him – as the founder of one of America's biggest law companies, and the father of the cutest guy Alex had ever met, he was definitely someone to impress.

Everyone had their own way of dealing with nerves, and it seemed like Laurens' was watching back episodes of _Judge Judy_ and making a list of every possible outcome. After almost five hours, Alex decided enough was enough and put a documentary about softshell turtles on before joining his friend on the sofa.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Alex tried to make conversation.

"Not really. You know it's up to seven years, right?".

"Or an alternative sentence, avoiding jail time altogether. And your dad's a really good lawyer, right?".

"Yeah, but maybe I deserve it. Angie thinks I do.".

"Angelica does not think you should spend seven years in jail. And neither do I.".

"What if my dad does?".

"Your dad would never think that. Even if you think he's like them, he can't be. He's related to you. And if you don't believe me, you can ask him when he gets here tomorrow. If that's what you were worried about, don't be, just watch the documentary.".

Laurens smiled at him. "You're awesome, Alex.".

"Just shut up and watch this, okay?". Alex grinned at the boy sitting by him, admiring the freckles he'd stared at so many times before. All he knew was that they couldn't send this perfect cinnamon roll to jail, just for standing up for people's rights. They just couldn't.

At some point, they must have fallen asleep, because Alex woke up the next morning in a tangle of limbs and fluffy blanket. And, for whatever reason, he wasn't mad at himself for getting behind on his work, because it felt like it had been worth it.

 **A/N LONG OVERDUE LAMS FLUFF! Okay, so the trial is definitely happening (finally! I've kind of been putting it off for ages) next chapter. And an all out Lams/JeffMads war might be somewhere in the near future. And yes, I know this is a short chapter, but the next one will be longer. And now I'm making waaaaaay too many promises so let's move on...**

 **QOTC: Helpless, Satisfied, Congratulations (outtake) or Burn?**

 **AOTC: Congratulations, mostly because it's mainly rapping so it doesn't sound too bad when I do it, but Burn in a very close second.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	15. The Trial

A few hours later, Angelica arrived at their door accompanied by a tall man in a suit who could only be Laurens' father.

"Angie, hi. Do you guys want to come in?". Alex closed the door behind them.

"Alex, this is Henry Laurens. Alex is in John's pre-law, right?".

"Yeah, that's how I met him. Pre-law's awesome, I love pre-law.". Alex was relieved when Mr Laurens merely shook his hand and looked around.

"John? Do you want an interior decorator?". He spoke with a strong Southern accent, which didn't surprise Alex in the slightest.

Laurens poked his head out of his bedroom door. "Hey Dad. And that's what Laf's parents said. We like it.". Alex was surprised at his sudden calm demeanour. It was better than shaking under blankets, sure, but it just seemed too chill.

"John, come here. We need a strategy for tomorrow. How are we pleading?". Henry Laurens was all business, and Alex was relieved – it was something he could work with.

"Guilty. There's no way anyone could pull off pleading innocent after they had to physically pull him off the guy.". Alex was pleased he could finally put some of his law knowledge to good use, and even more pleased when Laurens strolled in and sat down next to him.

Although they had a game plan finished in an hour, Alex was still nervous standing outside the court the next morning. He was crazy nervous on Laurens' behalf, as he still seemed unnaturally calm about the whole thing.

"Dude, why are you so chill about this?". Alex didn't understand how the other boy wasn't freaking out.

"My dear Alexander, connections are everything. And it just so happens that the judge is one of my dad's old law school friends.". That explained why nobody else was so tense.

That also explained why the judge cleared Laurens of all charges and complimented his hair on the way out.

"Alexander? Can I have a word?". Alex was surprised when Henry Laurens called him over, but he went.

"Sure.".

"Is there any chance I could read one of your essays? John and Angelica have both told me they're excellent.". Alex was flattered – one of America's best lawyers wanting to read his essay? It didn't seem possible. He'd only been in America for a few months and he'd made some amazing friends, offended the president elect, been arrested and impressed the owner of one of the country's top law firms.

Alexander Hamilton was going places. And hopefully, he'd have John Laurens at his side when he got there.

 **A/N I know this is a slightly weird chapter, but I've been having trouble with the whole trial thing. So, yeah, the next one is going to be better. And yeah, I know Trump will probably be president by the time this gets uploaded - I'm not sure about the time difference but it's about half eleven in the UK - but this is set back at the start of December, which is vital because it is Christmas in a few chapters.**

 **QOTC: Hamgelica or Hamliza?**

 **AOTC: Hamliza because a) Angelica wouldn't be able to live with herself if she married Ham and then realized Eliza loved him and b) if he married Angelica, I'm not sure Ham would've survived** ** _The Reynolds Pamphlet_** **.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	16. Ten Debate Commandments

The first debate wasn't exactly something Alex was unprepared for, but he wasn't overly prepared for it either. He didn't know much about the other team, only that Laurens had punched one of them in high school. He didn't even want to know why.

That was why he was glad when Angelica dropped by for a last-minute practise the morning with supplies, consisting of team jackets, a list of all the teams in the tournament and coffee.

"Angie, why on earth is there a team called 'Southern M***********g Democratic Republicans plus a Federalist and a guy from New Jersey'?". Laurens had a point; it was a really stupid team name.

"It doesn't matter, today we're against 'The Duelling Guys'. That's Charles Lee – that guy you attacked a couple of years ago – Evan Edwards, Nathaniel Pendleton and William P. Van Ness. I know three of them, they should be pretty easy to beat.". Angelica wasn't fazed by the team they were facing, so Alex figured he shouldn't be.

"Oh, Angie, you know how you promised to let Laf do your makeup if he joined the team? Well, he wants to do it today, sooo...". Angelica looked horrified, but she sighed and headed over to Laf's room.

"When did he say that?" Alex asked his friend, setting down his coffee.

"He didn't, I wanted to talk to you. My dad called and he wants you to do an internship at the Manhattan office. And, yeah, it's a pretty huge deal. They have three spots in the South Carolina office and last year there were, like, five thousand applicants.".

Alex was stunned. He knew his essays were good – they'd impressed the people in Nevis so much that they'd paid for him to come here. They had been good enough to get him the Columbia scholarship. He just hadn't realised how good other people thought they were.

"That sounds amazing!".

"Awesome. I'll let him know you said yes and we can go check out the office sometime next week.".

They looked over the debate notes for a few minutes until the other half of the team emerged.

Angelica looked almost completely different with Kardashian level contouring, winged eyeliner and glittery eyebrows. Laf was sporting the same look, but seemed more comfortable with the amount of stuff on his face.

"Do I really have to keep all this stuff on my face all day?".

"Angelica, don't. Nobody calls Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Mortier, Marquais de Lafayette a bad makeup artist, okay?".

"Nobody's got the time, dude." Alex grinned. Angelica and Laurens burst into laughter.

By the time they got to the debate hall, the other team was already there. They were standing on the far side of a huge room.

Before the room was full of people coming to watch, Thomas Jefferson walked in. Instead of heading to the seats, he strolled over to Alex.

"Hi, Thomas. How are your parents?" Alex grinned.

"They're great actually, they changed their views. How's your boyfriend's father?". Alex hadn't expected that, but still tried to be just as smooth.

"He's brilliant, he gave me an internship in his Manhattan office.".

"Oh? And how did your boyfriend's trial go?".

"Cleared of all charges. And, you know he has a name, right?". Thomas opened his mouth, but Washington came over to send him back to his seat.

The debate went amazingly well. The other team were underprepared and they swept the floor with them, although Washington did have to stop them when Laf started insulting Lee in French.

Alex couldn't wait for the next one.

 **A/N yay! Debates! And did you get the references in the 'other team'? Charles Lee, obviouly. Nathaniel Pendleton and William P. Van Ness were Ham and Burr's seconds in when they duelled and Evan Edwards was Charles Lee's second irl when he duelled Laurens.**

 **Also, fun fact, Charles Lee wasn't a total coward like he was in the musical. After Laurens shot him he asked if they could shoot again (Ham said no) and didn't get medical care until after Ham and Edwards sorted out the terms of surrender, which probably consisted of Alex suggesting something stupid and Edwards yelling across the field "LAURENS CONTROL YOUR BOYFRIEND!".**

 **QOTC: Seeing as this chapter had duel references,** ** _Ten Duel Commandments, Blow Us All Away_** **or** ** _The World Was Wide Enough_** **?**

 **AOTC:** ** _The World Was Wide Enough_** **. It's so sad and then Alex is realising things and it's just...**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	17. The Internship

Alex was insanely excited to start the internship. In fact, he was so excited he managed to sleep for a full eight hours the night before his first day. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept a full night.

Angelica understood his excitement. Her internship at a newspaper was almost all she spoke about, and she knew how much it meant to him.

Laurens, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing positive to say about the company.

"Alex, you should try for somewhere else. Everyone there is boring and overworked.".

"Come on, has nothing good ever happened?".

"Actually, this one time my sister Martha set fire to a desk when we came up here over Easter two years ago.".

Alex grinned. "What happened?".

"She 'borrowed' my Bunsen burner to toast marshmallows and somehow managed to knock it over.".

"You had a Bunsen burner in a law office?".

"It's so boring that was the only way my dad could convince me to get on the plane.".

"Wow. Thing is, I actually find law interesting, so I am going to start my internship now.".

Alex was shocked at the sheer size of Laurens Law Ltd Manhattan. The foyer was almost as big as Angelica's bedroom, which was saying something. There were huge plants lining the cream-coloured walls and floor-to-ceiling glass doors showing offices. There was a map of the US showing where all the offices were.

It was a very typical coffee-fetching, doing work no-one else wants to do internship, but Alex soon felt at home in the office.

 **A/N I know this is a pathetically short chapter and also slightly crap, but I am working on 5 different shows, 3 auditions and a short film at the moment, plusthe End Of January Christmas Special should also be out later tonight, so please forgive me!**

 **I don't think this chapter really deserves a QOTC, but the next one will definitely have one.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	18. CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! Part 1

Christmas wasn't something Alex was particuarly looking forward to.

It had been years since he'd really enjoyed it. His various foster families in Nevis had celebrated, but he'd never really joined in. In fact, this was the first year since he was eleven that he had real friends, real people he cared about.

He was completely alone. Laf and Mulligan had both flown to Europe the week before and Laurens had gone to South Carolina that morning. The Schuylers had gone skiing in Alaska a few days before and, although both Angelica and Eliza were pretty good at responding to texts, they didn't get great signal at the top of a mountain.

Alex was glad that Thomas Jefferson had gone to Virginia. It was common knowledge that Thomas' friendship with Laf was the only reason he didn't go for Alex, and with their mutual friend in France, there was no knowing what he'd do.

Alex thought the building was completely deserted except for him, which was why he was surprised when he heard footsteps outside the door on Christmas Eve.

At first, he thought somebody had broken in – he knew for a fact that none of the professors were staying at the university over the holidays, and he didn't think any of the students were.

However, when he stepped out of his dorm, he was surprised to see none other than his former roommate, Aaron Burr.

"Alexander?" the other boy said in surprise. He seemed shocked, as if he too though there was nobody else around.

"No big family Christmas, Aaron?" Alex asked.

"I've always assumed that a big family Christmas requires a family, so I'm not qualified. What about you?".

"Aaron, I haven't had a family since I was twelve. I don't usually keep track of Christmas.".

"But you did this year?".

"It's kind of impossible to not notice when all your classes stop and all your friends fly to other places.".

Aaron smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, Thomas and James both went home to Virginia. Where did all your friends go?".

"Uh, Laf's in France, Mulligan's gone to Ireland, Angie's in Alaska. And, yeah, Laurens is in South Carolina, redefining bravery, he's going to tell his dad he switched majors.".

Aaron smiled again. It was something he did quite a lot. Alex could never quite figure him out – he was friendly towards everybody, but had never expressed an opinion stronger than what he wanted for tea.

Alex had a mission. Over the Christmas break, he was going to get to know Aaron Burr.

"Hey, Burr, do you want to come in? It's kind of boring with no-one else here and it must be a bit like that over at your place.". Aaron looked a bit surprised, but followed Alex inside.

 **A/N Yay! Decent chapter! I kind of wanted to explore the platonic HamBurr and I figured that they could really get to know each other whilst literally everyone else is away for Christmas. So, it'll be maybe a couple of chapters dedicated to this, and then it'll be back to Lams.**

 **QOTC: A. Ham or A. Burr?**

 **AOTC: A. Ham. I love Burr, but Ham is just so awesome and he's a great character. Plus he has an awesome boyfriend, and an awesome wife, and an awesome mistress, and an awesome sister-in-law, and yeah he's great.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	19. CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! Part 2

Aaron Burr was surprised that Alexander wanted to get to know him, of all people.

Everyone knew Alexander. The guy had survived one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent history and managed to get to America, where he'd got the Columbia scholarship and quickly become one of the top students in all his classes. He'd already made an impression on some of the most influential people in NY, maybe even the entire country.

Aaron knew what Alexander and his friends were like. Well, he didn't really know Hercules Mulligan, but he figured that he had to be like the others. He knew Lafayette quite well due to their mutual friend in Thomas and he'd heard enough about John Laurens to know he was trouble.

With this in mind, Aaron wasn't really sure why he followed Alexander through the door.

The first thing Aaron noticed was that there was no wallpaper. The second thing he noticed was that the entire place was full of empty takeaway boxes.

"Alexander, was Thomas lying when he said Lafayette could cook?".

"No, Laf's a great cook. He went to France last week.".

"You've been living off takeaway?".

"You'd understand if you'd ever tasted my cooking. And, I'm not sure how it's even possible, but Laurens is even worse at it than I am.".

"Right. Well, I guess I'd better teach you then.".

An hour later, they were sitting on the sofa amidst material swatches and loose sketches, eating what was apparently the first edible thing Alexander had ever made. It was just a stir fry, and a pretty pathetic one at that, but it wasn't macaroni and cheese, which was Aaron's main criteria for good food. Living with Thomas, every day was macaroni and cheese day.

Aaron had figured out why people seemed to like Alexander so much. He was the kind of person that was just always fun to be around, but he made you feel secure, like you could trust him.

That was probably why he told him about Theodosia.

Theodosia Bartow was easily one of the prettiest girls in their year at Columbia. She had almond-shaped, chocolate coloured eyes and long dark braided hair, although she often had bright colours braided in. She had a model-like figure and, although standing at 5"6 made her too short for modelling, Aaron thought it was the perfect height for her.

Aaron had a hopeless crush on Theodosia. He knew he was okay looking – he thought his hair might put girls off, especially seeing how they fawned over Alex's ponytail – but, even if he was drop-dead gorgeous, he didn't stand a chance.

The problem was a boy named Jacques Prevost. Aaron knew and awful lot about Jacques Prevost. He was from Britain, but had lived in the states for about eight years. He was a sophomore at Georgia Tech.

And he was Theodosia's boyfriend of three years.

Alexander didn't understand the concept of 'taken'. He didn't know how to abandon a lost battle. And he didn't really understand the point of waiting.

Which was why, on Boxing Day, Aaron was on a date with Theodosia.

 **A/N What did you think of the Burr POV? I'm thinking of doing some more not Alex POVs later on, so, let me know what you think! Also, if you're into Lams headcanons and other Hamilton stuff, follow averyfandommusical on Tumblr!**

 **Also, sorry if this is kind of bad. I'm just super annoyed with life in general because Hamilton UK tickets were released on Monday and by the time I got home from school there were sold out like SCHOOL Y U BLOCK THE HAMILTON UK WEBSITE?**

 **QOTC: Who do you ship Burr with?**

 **AOTC: Theodosia, it's so sweet and... OMG I ACTUALLY SHIP A STRAIGHT HAMILTON COUPLE ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	20. Love At First Sight

Theodosia didn't really know Alex that well. She'd met him a couple of times whilst working on a design project with Herc, but that was it.

She'd been shocked and a bit weirded out when he'd messaged her on Facebook a couple of days before asking if she would mind going on a date with his lonely friend Aaron and that Jacques would never find out.

Theodosia had been staying with her mom in Manhattan for Christmas, only a few blocks away from campus, and she had nothing planned, so she agreed. She figured that if she hit it off with this Aaron dude, she might finally have an excuse to dump Jacques.

Jacques Prevost had been her high school sweetheart back when she lived in Georgia. She supposed she had loved him at one point, but with him in Georgia and her in Manhattan, the distance was taking its toll. It seemed stupid, staying with a guy she saw maybe once every three months when she had every boy in Manhattan at her fingertips.

She thought that if this Aaron was Alex's friend, he was probably like his roommates. She was pretty certain she'd never seen him in Alex's Facebook feed, though very few people were. It was repetitive but hilarious. _Alex Hamilton is annoying people with John Laurens... Alex Hamilton is getting arrested with John Laurens... Alex Hamilton is thrashing the other team at debating with John Laurens... Alex Hamilton is at home, missing John Laurens..._

She shipped them so hard. Oh yes, beneath her popular, preppy exterior, Theodosia Bartow was a hardcore fangirl.

She hoped it wouldn't weird Aaron out too much. She was pretty certain she'd only gone out with Jacques so long because he accepted her nerdiness. Not all guys liked it, but it was the one part of her that she wouldn't change for anybody.

Theodosia's fandoms and Tumblr friends had helped her through her parents' messy divorce and relocation to NY. Books, films and TV shows had been the one constant as her life had been turned upside down.

Her designs were based on her fandoms. Theodosia had always loved sketching, but she'd tried designing and making her own clothes in the ninth grade and fallen in love with the art. She was determined to make it in fashion. Things hadn't been easy for her mom since they'd left Georgia and, even whilst working three jobs and Theodosia waitressing in the evenings, she sometimes still found it hard to put food on the table, especially since Theodosia's dad had stopped sending child support since she turned eighteen.

Alex had arranged for her to meet Aaron at a coffee shop across the road from the university. As she'd expected, with about 95% of the student body out of town, it was almost deserted.

Except for the one boy Theodosia assumed must be Aaron. He was sitting in a corner, reading a book. He had very close-shaved hair and wore a preppy pullover with smart trousers.

And then he looked up at her and her heart went boom.

 **A/N OMG 20 CHAPTERS! I kind of couldn't resist the Theodosia POV, and then I went really deep into her character, so now we have Fangirl Theodosia!**

 **Back to Lams next chapter, and just a heads up, the next few chapters are going to be very dramatic, with family drama, Lams drama, Schuyler drama... Basically Alex is a very dramatic person.**

 **QOTC:** ** _The Story Of Tonight_** **or** ** _The Story Of Tonight (Reprise)_** **?**

 **AOTC: Reprise. I love how they're all teasing Alex and then it makes me sad because Lams and then there's Burr's bit and it goes into** ** _Wait For It_** **so well and it's just a really great song.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	21. Not In The Slightest

Alex was pacing the entrance of the airport. He wasn't sure what was going on and he didn't know if he was going to find out.

He knew that Laurens was coming back early. That was it. Although he was glad in some ways – Aaron was decent company, but he was mostly ditching Alex in favour of Theodosia – he was scared to find out why.

He figured that the best case scenario was that he'd forgotten something important, like a sketchpad. However, deep down, Alex knew better. He knew there had to be something wrong.

The half hour he spent waiting felt like an eternity, but eventually the person he'd missed most walked out of the luggage collection area, looking exhausted but just as gorgeous as the last time Alex had seen him.

"HI FAVOURITE ROOMMATE!" Alex yelled. He hadn't exactly been starved of human contact, but hanging out with Aaron had meant he'd had to act like a normal person.

"Hey Alex. I thought Laf was your favourite? He can cook.". Laurens grinned at him.

"Yes, your cooking is diabolical, but takeaway doesn't kill you. It's actually quite nice. In all seriousness, are you okay?".

Laurens sighed. "Not in the slightest.".

"Are you going to talk about it?".

"Nope.".

"Fair enough. I'm assuming you want to head home, so we might want to go find the car.".

"Alex. Since when can you drive?".

"Erm... Since Laf didn't take his license to France with him?". It came out more like a question, but Alex didn't really care.

"Alex, just call a Uber if you can't drive.".

"It's fine. Angelica actually showed me how, I just never got round to taking the test.".

"Alex-".

"Seriously. I can do this. And it's not like you're particularly bothered about the law anyway, so...".

Even with the Manhattan traffic, it took a surprisingly short time to get back to the university. They didn't speak until they were inside their dorm.

"I know something happened, are you going to tell me what or...?". Alex broke the silence.

"Maybe later. Can we just do like anything else?".

"Harry Potter movie marathon?".

"I've heard of those, are they any good?".

Alex could hardly believe his ears. "You've never seen Harry Potter?".

"Apparently it has witchcraft in it and my parents thought that would be enough to make me convert to Satanism. That pretty much sums up how much faith they have in me.".

"I can't believe I live with somebody who has never watched Harry Potter. Get on the sofa, I'll get the laptop.".

Alex usually found it easy to lose himself in a movie. This time, he was only half paying attention and felt uneasy.

 **A/N I haven't updated in so long! I'm so sorry about that! Basically my drama and dance schools both made the rehearsal schedule more vigorous, and my school's doing a load of stuff about Options (yes, miss, I already know what I want to take, are four after school sessions in two weeks really necessary?) and then I went and got the flu, so this took so long and it's hardly great but it'll be fine.**

 **So, yeah, back to Alex's POV with this one. A bit of mystery with this, and all should become clear next chapter.**

 **QOTC: Marliza - Yea or Nay?**

 **AOTC: MARLIZA IS SO CUTE! They're not quite OTP level - I have a strict one OTP per fandom limit and my Hamilton one is Lams - but they're SO ADORABLE together! And Maria Reynolds deserves a happily ever after.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	22. There's Only One Of You

Angelica Schuyler was glad to be home.

Sure, she enjoyed skiing, but hanging out with Eliza and Peggy 24/7 for three weeks had been exhausting. She loved her sisters, but, to quote Peggy, 'there are only so many times you can hear about the way Alex Hamilton flicks his hair before you punch someone'.

Actually, it was good that Peggy was naturally super calm. She was a black belt in three different martial art forms and was one of the fittest, strongest people Angelica knew. First rule of the Schuyler household: don't mess with Peggy.

Angelica was kind of worried about her sister's infatuation with Alex. She didn't want Eliza getting her heart broken – again. She remembered when Eliza had had a thing with Thomas Jefferson. He'd found out how she really felt, absolutely crushed her and went to France for two years. Eliza had cried the day he came back.

It had been a tragic love story, really. Their family friend had flirted with Eliza at a party and she'd been smitten. He'd flown up to see her every time he had a few days off school and she'd spent Easter in Monticello.

Then he'd cut her loose. Told her every single thing he didn't like about her. It had taken Eliza an entire year to be confident enough to even leave the house without one of her sisters, and she still wasn't over it.

Angelica really wished her sister could mend her heart with Alex. He was a good guy who'd be good for her sister. He just wasn't into Eliza.

Speaking of Alex, she really should call him. Considering there wasn't anyone around to force him to take care of himself, he probably hadn't slept in three days.

"Hey Alex.".

"Angie. Hi. You're back.".

"Yep. What are you doing?".

"Well, I was having a Harry Potter movie marathon with John, but he kicked me out. Apparently it's annoying when I recite the entire script whilst the movie's on.".

"Wait, what?".

"I know right, I told him he was being unreasonable and it's very important for him to know that Peeves is supposed to be in that scene-".

"Alex. None of your roommates are supposed to be back yet.".

"Oh, yeah, he came home early. He won't tell me what happened."

"Right. Alex, you know Eliza's been thinking of asking you out?".

"Can't you just tell your sister I have a boyfriend?".

"A couple of years ago, a, ahem, guy was pretty awful to Eliza. He made her think he cared and then he absolutely destroyed her. She's still not completely over it. So please let her down gently.".

Alex went to respond, but in true New York style, Angelica had already hung up.

He sighed. He might not be interested in Eliza, but he wanted to protect her – she was as sweet as sugar and had that effect on people. Nobody ever wanted to see Eliza Schuyler get hurt. Alex kind of wanted to punch the guy Angelica had mentioned in the face.

He heard the credits start and walked into the lounge, standing in front of the TV.

"Let me guess, you've memorised the credits too?"

"Pretty much. Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe. Hermione Granger, Emma Watson. Ron Weasley, Rupert Grint. Albus Dumbledore, I'm assuming you've got to Michael Gambon by now? Minerva McGonagall, Maggie Smith. Severus Snape, Alan Rickman RIP. Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton. Neville Longbottom, Matthew Lewis. Luna Lovegood, Evanna Lynch. Ginny Weasley, Bonnie Wright. Lord Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes. Bellatrix Lestrange, Helena Bonham Carter. Fred Weasley, James Phelps. George Weasley, Oliver Phelps. Cedric Diggory, Robert Pattinson. Cho-".

"Alex. I really don't need to know the entire cast and crew for all eight films.".

"I was going to include Fantastic Beasts.".

"You're such a nerd.".

"I know right? Anyway, Angie mentioned a guy played Eliza a while back and we haven't punched anyone in a while, so do you know what happened?".

"Ah. That. Basically, you know Thomas Jefferson? He flirted with Eliza at a party and she took it seriously. They got really close, like he was flying up here for long weekends and she spent the holidays in Monticello. Then he cut her loose, apparently he pretty much destroyed her, and went to France for two years. I don't think he knew how much he meant to her.".

"I knew he was awful but...wow. That is messed up.".

"I kind of get why – an Eliza is a lot easier to explain than a James – but he really didn't have to be such a dick about it.".

Alex stared straight ahead for a minute as he put two and two together and wondered how he hadn't realised it sooner.

"You told your dad about us, didn't you?".

"What?".

"That's why you came back early. Why didn't you tell me?".

"Uh, there's like a 63% chance my dad will fire you for that and you really don't need to worry about that.".

"No. There are thousands of law internships. There's only one John Laurens.".

"Well, actually, I was named after my great uncle, so-".

"Shut up, stop ruining the moment and kiss me.".

 **A/N Guess who wins the award for biggest procrastinator? Yep, it's me... I've literally had like three quarters of this chapter written for a week. It's quite long though, so am I forgiven?**

 **So, the TJeffs/Eliza thing - I think they'd be a terrible couple, which is why they were perfect for this. And yes, Eliza gets a happily ever after in this. Just not with Alex.**

 **QOTC: Which Hamilton character are you most like?**

 **AOTC: I would really, really like to say Angelica. But I'm not that awesome, so maybe Alex. Because we're both small, opinionated af and willing to fight everyone.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	23. CAT

Alex was working on the politics holiday homework with Angelica a few days later when he got an urgent text.

 **JLaur3: You need to come home RIGHT NOW.**

 **You: Why?**

 **JLaur3: There is a package from my sister on the sofa and it might be a bomb.**

 **You: Why on earth would your sister send you a bomb?**

 **JLaur3: Because she's my sister?**

 **JLaur3: And it has airholes in it might explode please hurry up.**

"Hey, Angie...". Alex knew she'd probably be annoyed, but he had priorities and making sure his dorm didn't blow up was more important than homework.

"What?".

"I kind of need to go. There's a hot boy in my dorm freaking out over a potential bomb and I need to go make sure it's not a bomb and plan it in Jefferson's dorm if it is.".

"That's a cute way of describing your boyfriend. ELIZA! ALEX NEEDS A LIFT HOME!" she yelled.

A few minutes later, Eliza appeared in the doorway looking perfectly put together in a navy pullover and a black skirt. She led him out to a pale blue car in the driveway.

"You girls all have your own cars? In NYC?".

"The school me and Peggy go to is really far away. Angie doesn't really use hers much now she's at uni but it's nice having one just in case.".

"So are you coming to Columbia next year?".

"Hopefully, I mean, I applied, and I got an interview, so...".

They chatted until Eliza pulled up outside the university. Alex ran in to find Laurens waving a rolling pin at a cardboard box.

"Dude, calm down. What did that box ever do to you?". Alex sighed, before opening the box. Inside was what looked like a pale grey ball of fluff. He reached in to pick it up and promptly got scratched.

He turned his attention away from the cat and onto the note in the box.

 _Hey bro,_

 _So basically this massive high profile case just came into the Manhattan office and that means Dad's probably going to be working Alexander harder than is legal. So I figured you might get lonely and need a pet whilst he's doing boring lawyer stuff._

 _She's a girl, so you might want to get her neutered. She's still young enough to be on kitten food. Keep her in the dorm until she gets used to you. You guys get to name her!_

 _Your favourite sister._

 _P.S. You are a cat person, John. You just haven't realised it yet._

"Alex! Is it a bomb?".

"No, it's a cat. Come look.".

"No thanks. I'm really not a cat person.".

"Aw, come on, it's cute!". Alex was right – the cat was adorable, with long grey fur, long whiskers and huge green eyes.

"Just... The cat stays in your room, okay?".

Alex laughed and put the cat down on his bed. She began to scratch his duvet.

 **A/N CAT! Just a bit of literal fluff before we get to angst and arguments. Also, we need a name for the cat! Let me know your suggestion and whoever's name gets used gets a shoutout next chapter.**

 **QOTC: What animal do you think Alex would be?**

 **AOTC: Maybe some sort of bird? I don't really know to be honest.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	24. Can You Really Blame Him?

Soon enough, the winter holidays were over and Alex was on his way to the first day back at work.

For the first time ever, he didn't want to go. The thought of working for the man who'd hurt the person he loved most made his blood churn. However, he wasn't a quitter, so he was stuck with the company till they fired him.

What he hadn't anticipated was the big boss standing in the foyer when he walked in. He froze for a minute, trying to decide whether to turn straight back round or try to get to a cupboard somewhere, but it was too late.

"Alexander? A word.".

Alex sighed. He'd figured there was a chance of being fired right away, but he'd thought he'd at least get ten minutes. He followed his boss into an office.

Alex sat down and looked around. It wasn't a room he'd ever actually been in before, but it looked quite a lot like Washington's office at the university.

The man in front of him sighed, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Alexander. My son won't talk to me.".

"Can you really blame him?". The words came out before Alex realised what he was saying.

"No, I guess I can't.".

Involuntarily, Alex stood up. "Sir, I live with three guys. One is a trainee fashion designer. Another is an amazing makeup artist. And the third is the most incredible guy I've ever had the privilege of knowing. And, yeah, none of us fit the stereotypical dude. We're not Gaston. But that should be okay and, according to people like you, it's not. We're humans, not Ken dolls. We're people.". Alex sat back down. If he'd had a shot at keeping his job before, he'd just thrown it away.

"It's good you have such strong opinions. I've been thinking a lot recently, and I came to the conclusion that no political stance is worth losing my son.".

Alex just stared in disbelief. "You mean... I'm not fired and he's not disowned?".

"No, of course not! He might be excommunicated though. But you're the best intern I ever had.".

Alex smiled as pride surged through him. He was already looking forward to going back to class.

 **A/N Sorry it's been so long! I had school stuff, and out of school stuff, and the flu... but yay, I finally got a chapter out! And also sorry it's so short, Alex's outburst was longer in my head.**

 **QOTC: Shall they call the cat: a) Aaron Purr, b) The Laurens Kryptonite or c) Cat?**

 **AOTC: They'll call it whichever one you guys pick.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	25. You'll Be Back

Alex was walking across the courtyard after the first class of the year with his friends when he first saw it.

From a distance, it looked like three people on a podium holding signs. Laurens nudged him.

"Alex, they're having a protest and they didn't invite us.".

"How rude.".

"Well, maybe they didn't want the _policier,_ how you say? Ah yes – the police turning up". Alex smiled.

"It's not my fault they arrested us last time! Punching nazis should be legal!".

"You broke his nose and his jaw.".

"Your point is? Alex, come on, let's go check out the protest.".

It wasn't really much of a protest, more of a campaign. All the signs had a picture of a young man with the words 'George King-Hanover: A Face You Can Trust'.

The young man was standing on the podium. He had slicked back, dyed white hair, cold, pale eyes and a tattoo of a crown on the inside of his wrist. He was far too dressed up for hanging out on a college campus in the middle of January.

When he saw them heading straight for him, he climbed off the podium, closely followed by two guys standing behind him. He offered Alex his hand, with a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You must be Alexander. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you in the five hours I've been on campus. George King-Hanover.". He spoke with a posh, affected British accent.

"I've never heard of you before, and can I ask why you're in my school?".

"Oh, I'm visiting Samuel and Charles.". He motioned to the two guys behind him. "Do you know them?".

Alex smiled. "Not personally. I do believe, however, that John knows Charles.". He mimicked George's formal dialect perfectly.

George looked Alex in the eye. "It'd be nice to get to know you. Would you like to meet for coffee tomorrow afternoon?".

Without breaking eye contact, Alex replied "That'd be great, if there was anything I wanted to discuss with you. However, you hardly seem like the sort of person I'd want to know, so thanks, but no thanks.".

"You'll be back, Alexander.".

"I don't think so.".

And with that, he turned and headed straight to the library, leaving George gobsmacked.

 **A/N Unfortunately there was a technical issue the first time I uploaded this. I'm absolutely useless with tech so my big plan was to just try again. Please let me know ASAP if there are any more problems with this.**

 **So, like last night, I just wanted to let y'all know that the name Aaron Purr got the most votes. so that's what the cat will be called. Aaron Purr will definitely feature next chapter.**

 **QOTC: KG3 x Samuel Seabury: Yea or Nay?**

 **AOTC: HELL YEAH! I can just imagine them sitting together for hours plotting how to win back America.**

 **Than you for reading (hopefully you could this time)!**

 **Kitty :)**


	26. Tea and Coffee

George King-Hanover was not used to being spoken to like that. In fact, he wasn't used to being spoken to with anything but the utmost respect.

He knew it was crucial to get Alexander on his side. The guy was incredibly popular in the school, and with his public speaking skills, probably had more influence than half the teachers.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, running his fingers through his slicked-back hair. It was naturally dark, but he thought the current platinum blond colour suited him.

Sighing, he picked up his phone and texted one of the guys helping him.

 **You: Can you get me Hamilton's number?**

 **You: Or one of the loonies he hangs out with**

 **Sam Seabury: On it.**

A few hours later, George had left almost a hundred voicemails for Hamilton. Getting his number had been fairly easy – Seabury had just walked into the law office where he worked and asked the secretary.

Eventually, Alexander texted back.

 **A. Ham: What do you want?**

 **You: Ah, finally! I've been calling all day!**

 **A. Ham: Stalker.**

 **A. Ham: I was at work.**

 **You: We got off on the wrong foot the other day.**

 **A. Ham: You don't say.**

 **You: How does coffee sound? Tomorrow, 11:30, the place near your college?**

 **A. Ham: Why?**

 **You: Because otherwise I'll have to corner you at work.**

 **A. Ham: Ugh, fine.**

 **You: Awesome.**

The next day, George was sitting in the coffee shop when Alexander walked in, accompanied by the boy he'd been with during their first meeting and a girl with curly hair in a messy ponytail. _So he bought backup._

He stood to greet them, extending his hand. None of them took it. The girl spoke first.

"I don't know what you want with Alex, but can we get this over with quick? We have a politics class in forty minutes,".

"Well, actually, it's just you two, it sounds like a pretty boring class-".

"Shut up John,".

George smiled. "Schuyler, isn't it? I though I recognised you. Don't you know me? I was at your party,".

"That's because I didn't have any say on the invite list,".

Alexander interrupted them. "Angie's right, we need to be back at the uni for ten past twelve, can we make this quick?". He sat down at the table opposite George. "What do you want from me?".

"Some students are... unhappy with your current dean, Professor Washington. They came to me, through Seabury. Several people would prefer me in his office,".

"You want to usurp Washington?".

"That is correct,".

"You want us to help you get rid of our favourite teacher?".

"That is... also correct.". George realised getting Hamilton on his side was going to be a bit harder than he had originally thought.

"Alex, why are you talking to this idiot?". That was the boy Angelica had called John.

"You know what, I don't have a clue. Hey, John, in this situation, what would Aaron Purr do?".

"Hmm... Probably scratch his face off.".

"You're absolutely right, but I can't do that. I can do this, though.". Alex snatched George's boiling tea from across the table, poured it all on his head and walked out.

 **A/N So I'm sorry this took so long! I actually wrote this chapter four times from different POVs before deciding on this one, so yeah, that's why.**

 **So, I figured since I'm pretty inconsistent with updating, I'd recommend some other Lams fics. My personal favourites are** ** _The Room Where It Happens_** **by FandomsForeva, which currently has 24 chapters and updates every Saturday morning (UK time) and** ** _Life, Libraries and John Laurens_** **by RevolutionaryWarlock, which currently has 11 chapters and doesn't update so frequently, but has some pretty amazing content.**

 **QOTC:** ** _You'll Be Back, What Comes Next_** **or** ** _I Know Him_** **?**

 **AOTC:** ** _What Comes Next_** **. I love the 'Awesome. Wow.'. It's now pretty much my signature reaction to anything.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	27. Meet Him Inside

Alex was in Washington's office later that day to discuss his behaviour.

"Alexander. Take a guess at whether it is appropriate to pour boiling tea on somebody's head.".

"Err... Yes?".

"Take another guess.". Washington sighed. Alex suddenly felt bad – he didn't want to be _that_ guy.

"Sorry. I won't pour tea on him – or anyone – again. Or coffee. Or hot chocolate.".

"It's too late for that. Look – you're a great student. Everybody's singing your praises – that's why that guy was so desperate to talk to you. It's just that sometimes, I worry about whether you know how to behave in public.".

"Sir-".

"First, you stole your roommate's fish. Then the kidnapping debacle. After that, you made a bold political statement to a lot of very powerful people. Then you got arrested. And now this.".

"Sir, I know how to behave! Angelica taught me which fork to use!".

"This is your last chance. Figure it out, Alexander.".

"But sir-".

"That's an order from your commander.".

Alex was walking dejectedly across campus towards his dorm when he completely walked into somebody.

He mumbled an apology as a girl bent over to pick up the book he'd knocked out of her hand. He knelt to grab it for her and brushed her long, curly hair out his eyes. She smiled as they stood up.

"Thanks.".

"Sorry for bumping into you. Alex Hamilton.". He offered her his hand, which she took, but only for a moment.

"Maria Reynolds.".

"Are you related to the Schuylers?".

"Schuylers?".

"You look just like my friend's sister.". Alex had noticed her resemblance to Peggy straight away, but looking at her now, he noticed a ring on her wedding finger and a dark bruise on her collarbone.

"Quit staring.". Maria's demeanour changed instantly. "I mean – my husband – he won't be happy.".

"Husband? How old are you?".

"Never heard of marrying young?". She sighed. "Life hack – don't marry somebody you don't completely know.".

"I'll bear that in mind.".

 **A/N I'm sorry! It's been forever! Basically I've been trying to introduce Maria for a while, but this was the first place it really fitted. Also - did you check out the fics I mentioned last time? A few of you mentioned you also recommend** ** _Life, Libraries and John Laurens_** **, so I'd suggest checking it out if you haven't already.**

 **QOTC: Maria Reynolds - love or hate?**

 **AOTC: I wouldn't recommend sleeping with a married politician, but Maria's a cool gal. She's got such a sad story and I get why she slept with Ham and all that.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	28. He Didn't Mean To'

With midterms coming up, Alex had been extremely busy. The makeshift wallpaper was now composed almost entirely of flashcards, something Laf's parents hadn't approved of when they Skyped him.

He was reading a book in the foyer of the law office when a familiar face walked in.

"Hey! Maria, isn't it?". She looked startled for a moment, brushing her hair away from her face to reveal what looked like a bruise covered in makeup.

"Uh, yeah, hi. Alex, right?". She seemed unsure of herself.

"So, Miss Maria Reynolds, what can we do for you today?".

"So you're a qualified lawyer who still goes to college?".

"Nope, I'm a freshman in pre-law. There are benefits to dating the boss's son. So, what brings you here?". She brought her hand to her collarbone, where he'd noticed the bruise before, and sighed.

"My husband got charged with assault.".

"Who did he hit, you?".

Maria laughed nervously. "No, some random guy on the street who tried to get my number.".

Alex looked her dead in the eyes. "Has he hit you?".

She hesitated, brought her hand to her collarbone again, looked away and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'he didn't mean to'.

He scrawled a number and an address onto a scrap of paper. "Maria. If you ever need to get away, go to this girl. Her name's Eliza and she's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. I'm friends with her sister, Angelica, and she'll get everything sorted out.".

Maria sighed, took it and ran her fingers through her hair. "Thanks. I really should get going, though.".

 **A/N Yes, I know this is short. Yes, I know it's been ages because** **I'm lazy** **I'm in a show next week. However, I hope you'll forgive me because we have some serious action next chapter, which is almost finished and should be out tomorrow.**

 **QOTC: What do you think will happen to Maria?**

 **AOTC: Well, I already know, so I can't really tell you that yet.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	29. Mr James Reynolds, Even Better

**TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains physical violence. Please don't read it if there is any chance of it triggering you. I will include a summary at the start of the next chapter, which should also be out tonight (or tomorrow if I fall asleep).**

Alex was typing up a paper for his pre-law class when he heard the banging at the door. He ignored it; all three of his roommates were watching TV in the living room, they could get it.

He heard a slightly aggressive voice and stopped typing to listen to the conversation.

"Where's Maria?". That was the aggressive newcomer.

"Who's Maria?".

"Don't play dumb. Where is she?".

"Seriously. Who is this Maria?".

"You're the law firm dude's kid, right?". The next sound Alex heard was a sort of muffled scream. He stepped out of his room to find a tall, well-built guy holding Laurens by the throat.

"Cut it out, man! You don't walk into someone's dorm and attack them!" Alex yelled.

"You don't walk into someone's life and try to steal their wife." the guy retorted.

"Who even are you?"

"My name is James Reynolds." the guy spat. Suddenly, everything fell into place.

"You've got the wrong guy. I know Maria.". James turned and hit Alex, who fell to the floor, hitting the back of his head on the door frame. "I know Maria. I've spoken to her twice and she's covered in bruises. Why is that?".

Reynolds let Laurens go and focused on Alex. "Clumsy girl. What did you talk about?".

"I walked into her and helped her pick her books up. The second time she came into the law firm I work at.".

"And you spoke to her?".

"That's my job. I literally get paid to speak to customers.". Alex knew that sassing Reynolds was a bad idea, but he couldn't help himself. The fist came down again, leaving a throbbing pain in his right arm to join the one at the back of his head. He was having trouble concentrating.

Suddenly, Reynolds collapsed to the floor. Lafayette had whacked him with a rolling pin. That was the last thing Alex saw before he passed out.

 **A/N Hopefully this wasn't too bad. The first draft was pretty heavy on the descriptions of the injuries.**

 **I'm not going to do a QOTC, purely because this is technically the first half - I just wanted to separate the potentially triggering part from the rest of it.**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	30. More Than A Crush

**Summary of last chapter: James Reynolds was looking for Maria and the search had led him to the Hamilsquad's dorm. He attacked both Alex and Laurens before Laf managed to knock him out.**

Alex woke up the the bright lights and beeping machines of a hospital. He checked his phone – he'd only been out for a few hours, but he had over a hundred missed calls, most of them from Angelica.

 _Crap._

He called her back.

"Alexander Hamilton. We've all been worried sick! Pick up your phone next time! We went round to your place and everything but there wasn't anybody there!".

"Well, good morning to you too, Angie.".

"A random girl showed up on our doorstep asking for Eliza saying you'd sent her.".

"Maria. Yeah. I got beaten up by her husband and holding the phone to my ear is hurting my arm.".

"What? We're coming in.".

"Angie. Don't be weird.".

"Alexander, having people who care about you isn't weird!". She hung up on him.

True to her word, Angelica turned up half an hour later, with Eliza, Maria and Peggy in tow. Alex quickly noticed that Eliza and Maria were holding hands.

"Alex. I'm so sorry. I- he shouldn't have done that.". Maria was the first to speak, fiddling with her hair.

"It's fine. Not your fault. Are you going back to him?".

She looked him straight in the eyes. "No. Turns out he cheated with nine different girls. I already started filling out the divorce paperwork. Now, he can go out with whoever he wants, at least he can after he gets out of jail.".

Alex laughed. "Well, now that's over, is there anybody else you have in mind?". He looked between her and Eliza, who blushed.

"See? Even Alex can see the chemistry, and according to Angie he didn't even know what a crush was till a couple of months ago!". That was Peggy. Alex shot Angelica what he hoped was a threatening look, while she suddenly became very interested in the door frame.

Maria turned to Eliza. "I guess Alex is smarter than he looks.".

"HEY!".

Eliza, still blushing, said nothing, but gently kissed Maria's cheek.

 **A/N Literally everybody who reviewed the last chapter requested Marliza, and it's one of my favourite ships anyway, so...**

 **Okay, so, I just wanted to address something. This morning, I had a review on chapter 8 (Angelica's bday party) from somebody who was pretty offended at the way I portrayed conservatives. I just wanted to clear up a few things:**

 **a) America is very right-wing compared to the UK. You guys just spent 8 years under Obama, who's a Democrat, whereas we've had 7 years of Cameron/May and the Conservative party. Despite this, we're still a more left-wing country (free healthcare, affordable higher education, gun control etc) which leads me to...**

 **b) I don't know that much about modern American politics. At the time of writing, I was under the impression that Trump/Pence are representations of the average American conservatives.**

 **And c) It was a conversation between Ham, who hadn't been in the US long enough to meet any moderate conservatives, and Laurens, who was raised at the extreme end of Republicanism.**

 **So, I'm sorry to anybody who was offended by my ignorance back in January.**

 **QOTC: Was the Marliza okay, seeing as it's the most requested thing so far (except for maybe Aaron Purr's name)?**

 **AOTC: I'm biased, since I wrote it, so I'm going to let you guys decide.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	31. Baguette-itsu

A few days later, Alex was part of a crowd in the courtyard, who were standing in a circle watching Lafayette doing... well, Alex wasn't quite sure what he was doing.

It looked a lot like martial arts, except for the fact that he was also waving a baguette around like a sword.

Thomas Jefferson slipped into the crowd beside Alex.

"Hey, Midget. What's Laf doing?".

"Don't call me midget. He thinks he can fight because he knocked this dude out the other day.".

"Okay Midget. What's with the baguette?".

"He's French and proud. Plus it rhymes with his name.".

"Okay Midg- wait is he flipping? YES LAF!" Thomas yelled. He was right; Laf was flipping across the courtyard and had managed to kick Charles Lee in the jaw. "That Lee kid just keeps getting hurt when it comes to your roomies.".

Alex had to agree. He'd heard all the stories of Laurens punching the guy in middle school. "He'll be viral by lunchtime.".

"Who's filming, Midge?".

"John has a tripod on the roof and Angie's got a camera drone getting the overhead shots.".

"You guys are so extra. Laf's extra cool, your boyfriend's extra violent and you're extra short.".

"Did you want to talk about something or are you just here to irritate me?".

"Aggravating you is fun and all, but can Burr move into your dorm? Him and that Theo girl are just _ugh_ with the PDA.".

"We don't have the room.".

"We'll trade for Laf.".

"No.".

At that point James Madison appeared and started talking quietly to Jefferson. Alex, being Alex, tried to join their conversation several times, but was shot down.

"Jeffernoying?".

"Yes, Midget?".

"James Madison won't talk to me.".

Jefferson turned to Madison and bent down to talk to him. "Jemmy, if Hamilton tries to make you talk to him, tell me and I will suffocate him with my hair.".

Alex sighed and focused on Laf's 'baguetitsu' display. It was the perfect timing; George King-Hanover walked passed, and got whacked in the eye with the baguette.

 **A/N Shoutout to my friend Amy, who inspired this chapter when she got mad that I had Laf knock Reynolds out with a rolling pin, not a baguette. In retrospect, I regret that too.**

 **QOTC: Would you rather live with the Hamilsquad or the Southern Motherf*****g Democratic Republicans?**

 **AOTC: Hamilsquad. They're great, but you'd also (hopefully) get to meet the Schuyler sisters, who are pretty awesome.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	32. The Trouble With Lawsuits

"Hamilton. Laurens. Lafayette. Schuyler.".

Alex hadn't seen Washington so stressed out before. He had no clue what was going on. He bit his nails in anticipation of what was coming next.

"Do you four have any idea what you've done?".

"I have several ideas, sir." Angelica volunteered, "But my dad called me ten minutes ago to say we're in trouble over the baguette-itsu thing. I thought expressing yourself was encouraged here?".

"Well, it seems Miss Schuyler has beaten me to it. George King-Hanover is suing the university. More specifically, you four.".

Laurens laughed and put his feet up on the desk. "Look, Washingdude, I don't really see how that's a problem. You do realise that we have what is arguably the biggest, most powerful law firm in America on our side, right?".

"Apparently you caused him second degree burns and severe eye damage.".

"We spilt some tea and poked him with a baguette!" Alex protested.

"When will you begin to take this seriously? If he wins, Alexander, you could be deported.". Alex hadn't heard Washington yell before. He was a risk taker by nature – but he wasn't about to risk throwing away his shot. Here, he was getting a world class education, and he wasn't about to go back to shopkeeping in Nevis.

"You're right, sir.".

"I'll call my dad, he'll get started on the case-".

"No, it's fine.".

"Alex, I'm not going to let you get deported!".

Alex turned to the fiery eyes he'd admired so many times. "Neither am I. But I'm late for work already and I don't think that'd thrill your dad.".

Half an hour later, Alex was trying to track down James Reynolds to sign the divorce papers when Aaron Burr walked in with a bloody nose.

"Well, if it isn't Aaron Burr, sir! What happened?".

"Alexander. Hi. I met Theo's boyfriend. He didn't like me very much.".

"Did you fight back?".

"No, Theo did though.".

At that moment, Theodosia came running in wearing an oversized Game of Thrones t-shirt and locked Burr in a hug.

"Oh my gosh, Aaron, I'm so sorry. He won't do it again. He's flying back to Georgia tonight. I love you.".

Alex watched their affectionate display whilst emailing the hospital about what happened to Reynolds after they all got out, wishing he could go back to that morning, before his future in America was in jeopardy.

 **A/N I'm so sorry for the inactivity! Between my talent for procrastination,** **end-of-year exams coming up and the UK terror attacks I've only just got round to writing this.**

 **So, yeah, suing.** **Do you think George'll win?**

 **QOTC: How do you think they'll get out of this mess?**

 **AOTC: I can't answer this one.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	33. Pick Up A Pen, Start Writing

Alex was sitting on his bed, looking through photographs. He had a free period that morning, so he was contemplating life.

It was a strange feeling, knowing every day could be your last one there. He looked down at the photo on the top of the pile. A selfie from his first day at work. He was smiling proudly whilst Laurens was fake yawning beside him.

"Knock knock.".

"Hey, Angie. Come in.". Angelica walked over and sat beside him.

"Bad news. This King-Hanover dude is using the media against you. He's dug up a bunch of old stories from people in Nevis.".

Alex just nodded. He wasn't expecting to win. George King-Hanover was related to both the British royal family and what used to be the German one, as well as aristocrats all over Europe.

"You just need one big push. You need to convince the American people you're worth keeping.".

"But how do I do that? I'm a college student with, like, ¼ of two degrees.".

"Do what you do best, Alex. Write.".

Alex looked down at the photo in his hand. She was right – his writing had got him here.

For the first time in weeks, Alex picked up a pen.

 **Okay. Wow. This has been a long time. Mostly because my life is crazy, but yeah, sorry about the unintentional hiatus. And it's a short chapter, sorry about that.**

 **Also - I launched a new story. It's called** ** _Raise A Glass To Freedom_** **. And it's gonna get pretty sad, but hey, who cares?**

 **QOTC: Do you think Alex can write his way out?**

 **AOTC: Um... If I answered it'd be a spoiler, so I'm not going to.**

 **And yes, I am going to update again soon.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


	34. We Are The People

_An Open Letter To The People Of America._

 _Dear All,_

 _My name is Alexander Hamilton. You probably haven't heard of me, unless you're a rich Republican, in which case I've probably upset you._

 _I've been living in New York City for eight months now. I came from the Caribbean after the hurricane destroyed everything I knew, and I'm double majoring in Pre-Law and Politics at Columbia._

 _I'm not going to claim to be a faultless human being. I'm going to claim to be a kid who's still learning about life. I've messed up over and over again, and I'm sorry._

 _You may have heard of a man named George King-Hanover. A smarmy, stuck up aristocrat who thinks he can get rid of anybody who won't support him. Who doesn't think that we 'regular people' are nearly as good as him._

 _Well, you know what? I'm not a 'regular person'. I'm a writer, a trainee lawyer, a debater. I'm a friend, a boyfriend, a student. I live in an apartment with no wallpaper with three other boys and a cat._

 _I'm a bastard. An orphan. Son of a whore. That doesn't define me. No one thing can define me – I am the product of all the things that make me who I am._

 _So are you._

 _We are so much more than 'regular people'. We are so much more than the labels the privileged have assigned to us. We are people, with identities and experiences._

 _We are the people._

 _Please, I beg of you, stand with me against the forces that wish to bring us down. If we come together, we can achieve anything._

 _Thank you,_

 _A. Ham._

"270! Bang on!" Angelica exclaimed, "I can get this published in the _New York Post_!".

"You cut eight pages." Alex whined back at her.

"The public don't want to hear about how Aaron Purr hisses when you say 'George King-Hanover'. They want something short, snappy and passionate. Besides, I had a 275 word slot. They wouldn't have published it all.".

Alex read through the edited version. Some of his favourite bits had been cut, but he had to admit, it sounded good. It'd get the right reaction.

And that was all he needed.

 **Another short chapter. Sorry about that. The next one'll be longer, promise.**

 **QOTC: How's Alex's article?**

 **AOTC: Well, my friend who is amazing at writing helped with it, so I'd say it's quite good.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Kitty :)**


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